Hey Pals!
Today I thought I'd share with you a little hobby of mine thats I've only recently got stuck into but have been a fan of and wanted to try for many, many years now - insect pinning! When i was little I used to collect bugs, hold them and play about with them, then as I got older I became afraid of them. Now it's a different story, I have become fascinated by them!
I have a couple butterflies in boxes thats I've got a-hold of from shops but I wanted to try it for myself. Now I've not been lucky to find any dead moths or butterflies to practicing that side of entomology (I really don't think I can bring myself to catch and kill one) however, I did come across these:
First up is this amazing big ol' bumble bee! Prince actually bought this in for me as some kind of token he was all dead and curled up in a ball so I had to relax him, then spread him (this all takes a few days so patience is needed) and then finally pin him!
I LOVE Bee's! They are so cute! I'm pretty set on my next tattoo being a bee.
Here he is:
Next up I found some amazing petrol-blue coloured beetles who had died on the floor during a walk in some woods. There were loadsss of them all dead and dying so I grabbed a few bodies as they definitely came in handy for practicing relaxing setting and then pinning.
Anyone who can identify them for me I will be in your debt - try googling 'UK petrol blue beetle' and get very far!
Any of my readers out there into entomology or insect pinning? You may remember from THIS post earlier in the week (OutThereInteriors actually tweeted saying they found it creepy - mission complete!). I have practiced cleaning of skulls and have a few in my house and very soon I am hoping to get some more and clean them up too - just incase anyone is interested :)
Hope your week is going well!
X
The bee looks perfect SJ, well done! :) Although I don't think I'd try pinning myself, it does always look great when done well!
ReplyDeleteRosie x
Bee's are very underrated aren't they - they are awesome! I'm very funny about insects so I don't think I'd be able to pin one myself because I get all worked up! You've done a great job with these though! xxx
ReplyDeleteit's macabre but also really interesting! how do you stop them from decomposing?
ReplyDeleteim super scared of butterflies and moths so find that part of your collection less interesting/more horrifying. spiders scare me too but i bet they would look awesome pinned. your bee and beetle are gorgeous too!
love this post, didnt know anything about this til now!
Macabre but oh so awesome! x
ReplyDeleteI actually love those! I've never really ever given any thought to insect pinning, so I'm surprised by how much I like them... New hobby maybe?
ReplyDeleteLiz xx
Distract Me Now Please
I love stuff like this! I have a male fox skull sitting proudly on my shelf and I love him (even though the rest of my family think it's creepy). You've done such a good job on the bee and beetle! I always look for mounted butterflies at car boot sales but no luck yet :'( I'm dying to get my hands on a cleaned deer skull too :)
ReplyDeleteWhimsical Wolf
This really is an interesting and unusual hobby, the bee one looks so pretty! xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those really annoying people that goes all funny at the sight of bugs. I like bees though, they're beautiful <3
ReplyDeleteJennie xo | sailorjennie.com
Haha this is a different hobbie, very cool that you enjoy it! I don't know anyone who does this so it was a good read, I wonder what else you will find?! Do let us know I'm all intrigued xxxx
ReplyDeleteAw that bee is so cute- I just want to stroke his back! A cool hobby :)
ReplyDeleteFaye x
www.iwishicouldwink.blogspot.co.uk
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ReplyDeleteOhh, LOVE this. Would deffo like to try this myself. Bees are so lovely :) I can recommend http://www.ispot.org.uk/ for identification for any kind of British wildlife, it's usually my go to for ID'ing. The beetle looks ike a Dor Beetle but you might want to double check! xx
ReplyDelete